


Dream Catcher

by ripplegrin



Category: Magic: The Gathering
Genre: Changeling - Freeform, Kaladesh, oc fanfiction, off screen murder
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-09
Updated: 2019-01-09
Packaged: 2019-10-07 01:02:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,140
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17355992
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ripplegrin/pseuds/ripplegrin
Summary: Meiyo visits Kaladesh for personal reasons and searches for a married inventor couple and asks them a few questions for a paper.





	Dream Catcher

I’ve always hated visiting kaladesh. The revolt helped to an extent but not enough to change my opinion. A population to rival ravnica’s yet with even more roadside annoyances. Inventors showing off their latest creations, people trying to sell off failed inventions to light a spark in a child’s eye, and others drinking themselves under the table to celebrate Tezzeret’s end.

If it was just because of these things, I would be fine but there’s always something more. Apparently, whatever creature I am enjoys taking the form of other creatures. I’ve seen most of the humanoid ones before, but my flesh thinks that it would be great to shift into their inventions. Skin trying to morph itself into metal tubes, scales and sheets feels like someone taking a hot iron to my arm. It’s probably because I actively suppress the urge, but the point still stands.

The most surprising thing about going here is that not a single person questions my mask. I’ve seen a few people wander about the cities with masks of their own, not as vulpine however. They seem to be quite… fun seeking compared to other races I’ve witnessed. Shifting into them feels… empty somehow. It’s difficult to put into words.

Thankfully, my work would not keep me here for long. The targets are a couple, ex-inventors but most likely still trying to keep their heads above the water. The difficult part is always gathering information. Sometimes it takes days, even weeks to find a lead. Hopefully, …

“Ah, them. Down the street, take a left and go down three blocks. Got their name on big ass sign. Can’t miss it.”

First guy. I’m not sure if I should be surprised, thankful or a mix of both. No matter what emotion would be correct to feel, a bit of coin in his hand seems to be acceptable. Changing coins when on a new plane was annoying as well, now that I think about it.

His instructions were clear enough, so I won’t be lost for a week like a previous mission. The ‘big-ass sign’ part was right. If I had to guess, it was around the size of a merchant stall and the neon lights, combined with the far too modern font, did make it impossible to miss, whether you wished to. A large shutter was their closest thing to a door, far surpassing the size of any humanoid on this plane but not that difficult to figure out the purpose for the size. A moment to steady myself to a better image before knocking on the door, if it can still be called that.

“Excuse me, I’m here to speak to Erfin and Komi. I’ve been assigned to look for your missing daughter.”

Sounds of panic mixed with a crash of metal means either a gremlin is ruining the building or one of them was in the middle of something before I arrived. A male human slamming the metal door away to shake my, now ashlike, hand means the latter was correct. He stood around six feet tall, a ragged mop of dark red hair, decent muscles and a multitude of stains were the most defining features about him.

“Thank you so very much! Ever since the consulate breakdown and the head judge’s betrayal, we’ve hardly had any time to search for her! I’m Erfin, come in come in.”

She disappeared two years ago, and the betrayal was hardly five months ago, your story would be more plausible if the times were closer but hard to say no, especially when they are pushing you inside. He quickly ran to a strange machine (although most machines on this plane were strange to me, if I’m being honest) and return with two metal mugs filled with a black ichor. The taste was hundreds of times worse than Bica’s but…. That was it. It was rancid coffee, that’s all I can say.

“So, what happened before your daughter went missing?” The less I must speak to him, the happier I’ll be.

“Ah yeah.” He took an awkward sip before somberly hunching over. “Komi and I were working on an experiment we were planning on entering into the fair. Something went wrong, and she ran away. We’re sure she’s still alive but I’m worried… so worried.”

Ah, he’s a liar. Wonderful.

“Do you still have the invention or are you keeping it hidden for now?”

“We scraped it after she ran. No reason to keep something around like that.”

Why keep something with no energy source for it.

“Can you tell me anything about her?”

“Yeah, she was 16 at the time. Red hair, she loves braids even though she can’t tie them. She had a pet gremlin. Well, it was wild, but she treated it like a pet. It was the main energy source for our experiment. The idea was to harvest aether from anything like the gremlins do. The storage device in the experiment went missing too. Maybe the gremlins got at it.”

Missing is not the term I’d use personally.

“When is your wife arriving? I’d like to ask her a few questions as well, if it’s not too much trouble.”

He nodded a few times and walked over to a storage room. The sound of more clutter falling onto the floor echoed throughout the workshop (Dear god, would this place even pass a safety check.) followed by his return, along with a younger looking tan woman. Brown hair, not as toned and an equal amount of stains. Wonderful. As with the husband, she shook my hand and grabbed her own mug of this rancid energy mud that could hardly be called coffee. More thanks for helping and other pleasantries escaped her mouth before she finally took a seat. I can easily see where her talkative nature comes from. Same questions, same or similar enough answers from her. At least they have their stories straight. 

“One last question before I leave. Her last name was what again? I have a terrible memory for last names, so please forgive me.” A slight bow made the white phrase more believable.

They awkwardly chuckled at each other before speaking.

“Reichsteller. Samger Reichsteller is her name.”

Without the mask, they would both have seen a wicked smile. I slowly made my way to the exit before stopping a step away.

“Ah yes, one more thing.” I turned on my heels and stepped towards them again. “My name is Meiyo, not as though you need to know.”

 

I need to get some resin, a few whetstones, and a new cleaning cloth. I suppose I’ll have to find some before I return to Samger. Hopefully, her nightmares will stop. I don’t plan to tell her but at the very least, this will protect her future. Does kaladesh even have a large sword market?


End file.
